Managing network data display

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for monitoring performance associated with fulfilling resource requests and determining optimizations for improving such performance are provided. A processing device obtains and processes performance metric information associated with processing a request corresponding to a set of resources. The processing device uses the performance metric information to identify a subset of the resources corresponding to a display location associated with a visible portion of a display and to assess performance related to processing of the identified subset of the resources. In some embodiments, the processed performance data may be used to identify timing information associated with the subset of the embedded resources. Aspects of systems and methods for identifying and testing alternative resource configurations corresponding to the content associated with the original set of resources and for determining whether to recommend a resource configuration for improving performance of subsequent client requests for the content are also provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/491,667, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,118,543, entitled “MANAGING NETWORK DATADISPLAY” and filed on Sep. 19, 2014, which in turn is a continuation ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/620,824, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,843,625,entitled “MANAGING NETWORK DATA DISPLAY” and filed on Sep. 15, 2012,which in turn is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/240,926,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,316,124, entitled “MANAGING NETWORK DATA DISPLAY”and filed on Sep. 29, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Generally described, computing devices and communication networks may beutilized to exchange information. In a common application, a computingdevice may request content from another computing device via acommunication network. For example, a user at a personal computingdevice may utilize a browser application to request a web page from aserver computing device via the Internet. In such embodiments, the usercomputing device may be referred to as a client computing device and theserver computing device may be referred to as a content provider.

Content providers are generally motivated to provide requested contentto client computing devices often with consideration of efficienttransmission of the requested content to the client computing deviceand/or consideration of a cost associated with the transmission of thecontent. Additionally, the content requested by the client computingdevices may have a number of components, which may require furtherconsideration of latencies associated with delivery of the individualcomponents as well as the originally requested content as a whole.

With reference to an illustrative example, a requested Web page, ororiginal content, may be associated with a number of additionalresources, such as images or videos, that are to be displayed with theWeb page. In one specific embodiment, the additional resources of theWeb page are identified by a number of embedded resource identifiers,such as uniform resource locators (“URLs”). In turn, software on theclient computing devices, such as a browser application, typicallyprocesses embedded resource identifiers to generate requests for thecontent. Often the resource identifiers associated with the embeddedresource reference a computing device associated with the contentprovider such that the client computing device would transmit therequest for the additional resources to the referenced computingdevices. Accordingly, in order to satisfy a content request, the contentprovider(s) (or any service provider on behalf of the contentprovider(s)) would provide client computing devices data associated withthe Web page and/or data associated with the embedded resources.

Traditionally, a number of methodologies exist which measure theperformance associated with the exchange of data such as in theenvironment described above. For example, some methodologies provide forlimited measurement of performance metrics associated with network sideprocessing of a content request. Other methodologies allow for limitedmeasurement of performance metrics associated with the content requestmeasured from the browser side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many of the attendant advantages and aspects of the present disclosurewill become more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description, whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrative of a performance measurementsystem including a number of client computing devices, a contentprovider, and a processing device;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the performance measurement system of FIG.1 illustrating the process of monitoring and fulfilling resourcerequests;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the performance measurement system of FIG.1 illustrating the process of identifying and providing performancemetric information from a client computing device;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the performance measurement system of FIG.1 illustrating the process of identifying and providing performancemetric information from a content provider;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrative of a performance monitoring routineimplemented by a client computing device for monitoring the performanceassociated with resource requests made by the client computing device;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrative of a performance monitoring routineimplemented by a performance measurement component for furthermonitoring client side performance associated with resource requestsmade by the client computing device;

FIG. 7 is an illustrative user interface displaying a variety ofperformance metric information collected by the performance measurementsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrative of a content processing routineimplemented by the processing device of the performance measurementsystem of FIG. 1 for identifying a subset of resources corresponding toan original resource request and processing performance data associatedwith the subset of the resources;

FIG. 9 is another illustrative user interface displaying a variety ofperformance metric information collected by the performance measurementsystem of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrative of a content processing andrecommendation routine implemented by the processing device of theperformance measurement system of FIG. 1 for processing a resourcerequest corresponding to a set of resources and determining arecommended resource configuration for the set of resources.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally described, the present disclosure is directed to monitoringthe performance and processing of data exchanges between clientcomputing devices and server computing devices. Specifically, aspects ofthe disclosure will be described with regard to monitoring a dataexchange involving a request by a client computing device for anoriginal resource and a set of corresponding embedded resources.Performance data may then be used to identify a subset of the embeddedresources which correspond to a display location associated with avisible portion of a display and to further assess performance relatedto the processing of the request. Other aspects of the disclosure aredirected to processing performance specifically related to theprocessing of the identified subset of the embedded. In one embodiment,the processed performance data may be used to identify timinginformation associated with the subset of the embedded resources. Theprocessed performance data can also be used to identify and testalternative resource configurations corresponding to the contentassociated with the original resource and corresponding embeddedresources, and to thereafter determine whether to recommend a particularresource configuration for improving performance of subsequent clientrequests for the content.

Traditionally, network servers can collect latency informationassociated with a server's processing of a client request for aresource. For example, network servers can measure a time associatedwith processing an incoming client request, identifying/obtaining therequested resource, and initiating the transmission of the resourceresponsive to the client request. Additionally, client computing devicescan collect latency information associated with the client computingdevice's initiation of a resource request and receipt of the resourceresponsive to the request. Aspects of the present disclosure, which willbe described further below, are directed to identifying and providingadditional information to improve the performance assessment related tothe processing of a client request for one or more resources and todynamically identifying and evaluating modifications to the originalrequest, original resource, and/or any embedded resources.

Even further, traditionally, client computing device hardware andsoftware, including browsers, operating systems, network stacks, androuters, may be configured to limit or otherwise restrict networktraffic according to set rules. For example, Web browsers may attempt toplace limits on the number of simultaneous connections that may beinitiated by or maintained between the browser and any particularcontent provider computing device. In many browsers, connections may belimited by domain name, such that, for example, a client computingdevice may maintain a threshold number of simultaneous connections to agiven domain name. In accordance with further aspects of the presentdisclosure, which will also be described further below, the performanceassessment associated with processing resource requests will take suchlimitations or restrictions into consideration. Although various aspectsof the disclosure will be described with regard to illustrative examplesand embodiments, one skilled in the art will appreciate that thedisclosed embodiments and examples should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrative of a performance measurementsystem 100 for monitoring the performance and processing of dataexchanges, and for specifically monitoring the performance associatedwith transmission and display of each resource in a subset of requestedresources. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the performance measurement system100 includes a number of client computing devices 102 (generallyreferred to as clients) for requesting content from a content provider.As illustrated in FIG. 1, each client computing device 102 includes aclient computing component 104 for requesting content from networkresources in the form of an originally requested resource that mayinclude identifiers to two or more embedded resources that need to berequested. As will be described in greater detail below, the clientcomputing component 104 also identifies performance metrics obtained byclient computing devices and/or components, such as browser softwareapplications. Additionally, the client computing device 102 includes aperformance measurement component 106 that identifies additionalperformance metrics associated with the client request, such as networklevel performance data including, for example, timing of receipt offirst and last network packets of data for fulfilling the originalresource request and each embedded resource request. In one embodiment,the performance measurement component 106 works in conjunction with theclient computing component 104 to collect performance metric informationsuch as from an operating system or a data file.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the client computing component 104 andperformance measurement component 106 are executed on each clientcomputing device 102. Alternatively, the client computing component 104may not be configured, or is otherwise incapable of, obtaining orproviding some or all of the performance metric information describedherein. In such an embodiment, the client computing component 104 mayfunction with a reduced or limited capacity. In still a furtherembodiment, the client computing component 104 may function inconjunction with a separate communication software application (e.g., abrowser software application) to provide the combined functionalitydescribed for the client computing component 104. For example, theclient computing component could correspond to a stand alone softwareapplication, plugin, script, and the like. Additionally, although eachclient computing device 102 is illustrated as having a separateperformance measurement component 106, in an alternative embodiment, theperformance measure component 106 may be shared by one or more clientcomputing devices.

In an illustrative embodiment, the client computing devices 102 maycorrespond to a wide variety of computing devices including personalcomputing devices, laptop computing devices, hand-held computingdevices, terminal computing devices, mobile devices, wireless devices,various electronic devices and appliances and the like. As alsoillustrated in FIG. 1, the client computing devices 102 are consideredto be logically grouped, as represented generally by client 107,regardless of whether the client computing devices are physicallyseparate and geographically distributed throughout the communicationnetwork 114. In this regard, the client computing devices 102 may eachcommunicate directly or indirectly with other computing devices overnetwork 114, such as a wide area network or local network. Additionally,one skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that client 107 can beassociated with various additional computing devices/componentsincluding, but not limited to, content and resource administrativecomponents, DNS resolvers, scheduling devices/components, and the like.

Each of the client computing devices 102 can accordingly includenecessary hardware and software components for establishingcommunications over the network 114. For example, the client computingdevices 102 may include networking components and additional softwareapplications that facilitate communications via the Internet or anintranet. As previously described, the client computing device 102 mayinclude an additional, separate browser software application. The clientcomputing devices 102 may also be associated with, or otherwise include,other computing components, such as proxy applications, for furtherfacilitating communications via the Internet or an intranet. Aspreviously described, the client computing components 104 may eachfunction as a browser software application for requesting content from anetwork resource. Additionally, in an illustrative embodiment, theperformance measurement component 106 of the client computing device 102may function as a proxy application for managing browser applicationcontent requests to the network resource. In other embodiments, theclient computing devices 102 may be otherwise associated with anexternal proxy application, as well as any other additional softwareapplications or software services, used in conjunction with requests forcontent.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 and as set forth generally above, theperformance measurement system 100 may include a content provider 108 incommunication with the one or more client computing devices 102 via thecommunication network 114. The content provider 108 may include a numberof content delivery components 110, such as a Web server component andassociated storage component corresponding to one or more servercomputing devices for obtaining and processing requests for content(such as Web pages) from the client computing devices 102. The contentprovider 108 can further include a performance measurement component 112for measuring performance metrics, such as a time associated withprocessing an incoming client request, identifying/obtaining therequested resource, and initiating the transmission of the resourceresponsive to the client request. One skilled in the relevant art willappreciate that the content provider 108 can include or otherwise beassociated with various additional computing resources, including, butnot limited to, additional computing devices for administration ofcontent and resources, DNS name servers, interfaces for obtainingexternally provided content (e.g., advertisements, Web services, etc.),and the like. Although the performance measurement system 100 isillustrated in a client-server configuration, one skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that the performance measurement system 100may be implemented in a peer-to-peer configuration as well.

With yet further continued reference to FIG. 1, the performancemeasurement system 100 may further include a processing device 116 forcollecting and aggregating performance data related to the processing ofclient requests. The processing device 116 can also be used to assessthe collected performance data and to determine if modifications to theoriginal resource and/or embedded resources should be made to improveperformance for subsequent client requests for the corresponding contentassociated with the original resource and/or embedded resources.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the processing device 116 is in communicationwith the one or more client computing devices 102 and the contentprovider 108 via communication network 114. Additionally, as will befurther described below, the processing device 116 may include a metricprocessing component 118 for the collection and aggregation ofperformance data from the client computing devices 102 and contentprovider 108, or any other computing devices, as well as for theassessment of performance data. Specifically, in one embodiment, theclient computing components 104 and performance measurement components106 associated with client computing devices 102 provide performancemetric information to the metric processing component 118, while theperformance measurement component 112 of the content provider 108provides performance metric information to the metric processingcomponent 118. The processing device 116 may further include a localdata store 120 for storing the received performance data. It will beappreciated by one skilled in the art and others that metric processingcomponent 118 and data store 120 may correspond to multipledevices/components and/or may be distributed.

One skilled in the relevant art will also appreciate that the componentsand configurations provided in FIG. 1 are illustrative in nature.Accordingly, additional or alternative components and/or configurations,especially regarding additional components, systems and subsystems forfacilitating communications may be utilized.

With reference now to FIGS. 2-4, an illustrative example of theoperation of the performance monitoring system 100 according to someembodiments will be described. For purposes of the example, however, theillustration has been simplified such that many of the componentsutilized to facilitate communications are not shown. One skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that such components may be utilized andthat additional interactions would accordingly occur without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 2, a client computing component 104 initiates acontent request that is intended to ultimately be received and processedby the content provider 108. In an illustrative embodiment, therequested content may correspond to a Web page that is displayed on theclient computing device 102 via the processing of a base set ofinformation, such as hypertext markup language (“HTML”), extensiblemarkup language (“XML”), and the like. The base set of information mayalso include a number of embedded resource identifiers that correspondsto resource objects that should be obtained by the client computingdevice 102 as part of the processing of the requested content. Theembedded resource identifiers may be generally referred to as resourceidentifiers or resource URLs. The request for the base set ofinformation and the subsequent request(s) for any embedded resources maybe referred to generally as a “resource request.”

In one embodiment, prior to initiating a resource request, the clientcomputing component 104 associates a record identifier with the resourcerequest. As will be described further below, the record identifier maybe used to track performance metrics associated with processing therequested resource including any embedded resources. In one example, therecord identifier may be attached to the resource request as a header orotherwise embedded in the request. The client computing component 104then transmits the resource request with the record identifier. However,as will also be described further below, the client computing component104 may alternatively transmit the associated record identifier in aseparate transmission from the resource request.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art and othersthat the client computing component 104 may generate the resourcerequest and associated record identifier itself or receive one or theother or both from another storage or computing device. For example,another computing device, such as processing device 116, may be used todetermine whether a test to monitor performance metrics associated withprocessing a particular resource, such as a Web page, should beconducted. In this example, the processing device 116 may send the testrequest, which includes a resource identifier corresponding to thedesired resource request and a record identifier further associated withthe resource identifier, to the client computing device 102.

In one illustrative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the client computingcomponent 104 initiates the content request by transmitting the resourceidentifier and associated record identifier directly or indirectly tothe performance measurement component 106 of the client computing device102. However, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant artthat, in the alternative, the performance measurement component 106 canotherwise intercept the content request initiated by the clientcomputing component 104.

Continuing with the present example and in further reference to FIG. 2,the performance measurement component 106 receives the resource requestand forwards the resource request on to the content provider 108 viacommunication network 114. Thereafter, the performance measurementcomponent 106 continually monitors performance metrics associated withthe processing of the requested resource, including any embeddedresources. Specifically, in one illustrative embodiment, the performancemeasurement component 106 monitors network level performance metricsassociated with the processing of the requested resource and anyembedded resources, such as timing of receipt of the first and lastbytes (or packets) of data of each request. The performance measurementcomponent 106 can either obtain such performance metric informationdirectly from the operating system of the client computing device 102 orthrough the client computing component 104. The performance measurementcomponent 106 associates the monitored performance metrics with therecord identifier.

As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the content provider 108 receives theresource request from the client computing device 102 and processes theresource request using content delivery components 110, such as a Webserver. The content provider 108 can also use a performance measurementcomponent 112 to monitor performance metrics associated with processingthe incoming client request, identifying/obtaining the requestedresource, and initiating the transmission of the resource responsive tothe client request. As shown in FIG. 2, upon obtaining the requestedresource, the content provider 108 initiates transmission of therequested resource to the client computing device 102.

In this illustrative example, the performance measurement component 106at the client computing device 102 obtains the requested resource,continues monitoring the processing of the requested resource, andforwards the requested resource to the client computing component 104.For example, the performance measurement component 106 may serve as aproxy application for receiving the requested resource or otherwiseintercepting the requested resource. The client computing component 104also tracks performance metrics associated with the processing of therequested resource. Upon receipt of the requested resource, the clientcomputing component 104 begins processing the content for display on amonitor or other display device associated with the client computingdevice 102. Alternatively, the client computing component 104 canprocess the content for sending to any other component or externaldevice (e.g., a framebuffer). Performance metrics associated withprocessing the content for display once the content has been received atthe client computing device 102 may also be collected. As will befurther described below, the above described functions apply to theprocessing of the originally requested resource, as well as any embeddedresources.

With reference now to FIG. 3, the client computing component 104 and theperformance measurement component 106 of the client computing device 102can each identify performance metric information that the respectivecomponents have monitored and/or collected. The performance metricinformation from the client computing component 104 may include avariety of information, such as process information, memory information,network data, resource data, client computing component information,including page setups, browser rendering information, state variables,display information, and other types of information. In one specificexample, the performance metric information may include informationregarding a time at which a particular resource was rendered on a Webpage, its location on the page, whether the resource was rendered on thedevice display, and the like. The performance metric information fromthe performance measurement component 106 of the client computing device102 can also include a variety of information as similarly set forthgenerally above. In one specific example, the performance metric datamay include network statistics, latencies, bandwidths, and data arrivaltimes, such as the timing of receipt of first and last packets ofinformation for the requested resource including for each embeddedresource. In another specific example, the performance metricinformation can include timing information associated with processingexecutable resources, such as JavaScript, as well as additionalinformation that can be used to indirectly determine processing timesassociated with the execution of the resource once the executable codehas been obtained.

The performance metric information from the client computing component104 and/or the performance measurement component 106 of the clientcomputing device 102 can also include basic resource information, suchas an identification of the resource type, a link to a header associatedwith the requested resource, a size of the resource, including a size ofthe header as well as a size of a payload corresponding to the actualrequested resource, an identification of a domain from which theresource was requested, and the like. For example, the performancemetric information can include identification of a set of coordinatesfor each of the resources in order to define a resource display locationassociated with each of the resources. The set of coordinates can, forinstance, include x- and y-coordinates identifying bounding corners of adisplay area corresponding to a location at which a resource is to berendered. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art andothers, however, that a resource display location can be identified in avariety of ways.

Even further, the performance metric information can include underlyingcomputer resource information, such as a resolution of the display ofthe client computing device 102, a version of the browser applicationsoftware, an identification of any plugins associated with the browserapplication software, an identification of any updates to the operatingsystem of the client computing device 102, and the like. The performancemetric information can also include identification of a display location(or area) associated with a visible portion of a display, also referredto herein as a frame, as will be discussed in further detail below.Alternatively, the performance metric information can include otherdisplay information from which such a display location can be inferred.Even further, the performance metric information can include informationregarding the location of the client device 102 (such as an IP address),servers associated with the content provider 108, and the like.

Still further, the performance metric information can include anidentification of limitations and/or restrictions associated withprocessing resource requests using client computing device hardwareand/or software. For example, the performance metric information caninclude identification of a threshold number (e.g., a maximum, aminimum, a range, and the like) of simultaneous connections to a domain.As another example, the performance metric information can includeidentification of an order associated with initiating embedded resourcerequests.

With continued reference to FIG. 3, the client computing component 104and the performance measurement component 106 of the client computingdevice 102 provide the identified performance metric informationtogether with the associated record identifier of the requested resourceto the metric processing component 118 of the processing device 116 viathe communication network 114. The metric processing component 118 thenprocesses the received performance metric information to assessperformance related to the processing of the client request for theoriginal resource and any embedded resources. The processed performancemetric information can be used to support modifications to the originalresource and/or embedded resources to improve performance for subsequentclient requests for the original resource. As will be appreciated by oneskilled in the art and others, the processing device 116 can store thereceived and/or processed performance metric information in local datastore 120, or any other data store distributed across the network 114.Additionally, as will be further described below in reference to FIGS. 7and 9, the processing device 116 can cause the display of the processedperformance metric information to a user of the system for furtherassessment.

In one illustrative embodiment, once the client computing component 104completes processing of the requested resource including any embeddedresources, the client computing component 104 identifies performancemetric information that the client computing component 104 monitoredand/or otherwise collected related to such processing. In this example,the client computing component 104 provides the identified performancemetric information with the record identifier associated with therequested resource to the metric processing component 118. Upon receiptof this information, the metric processing component 118 then requestsany further performance metric information related to the requestedresource and any embedded resources from the performance measurementcomponent 106 of the client computing device 102. In response, theperformance measurement component 106 of the client computing device 102identifies and provides performance metric information with the recordidentifier associated with the requested resource to the metricprocessing component 118. The metric processing component 118 can usethe record identifier to aggregate the received performance metricinformation. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art and othersthat the identified performance metric information may be transmitted tothe metric processing component 118 by a number of alternativemethodologies and/or components.

With reference now to FIG. 4, in one illustrative embodiment, theperformance measurement component 112 of the content provider 108 canidentify performance metric information that it has collected related tothe processing of the requested resource and/or any embedded resource.The performance measurement component 112 provides the identifiedperformance metric information to the metric processing component 118 ofthe processing device 116 via communication network 114. As will beappreciated by one skilled in the art and others, the performancemeasurement component 112 of the content provider 108 can provide theperformance metric information upon request from the processing device116 or upon completing its processing of the requested resource. As willbe described further below, the processing device 116 can then aggregatethe performance metric information from all components for displaying,processing, storing, or otherwise assessing performance related to theprocessing of the requested resource.

In one illustrative embodiment, the metric processing component 118processes the performance metric information received from some or allnetwork components (e.g., client computing component 104, performancemeasurement component 106 of the client computing device 102, and/orperformance measurement component 112 of the content provider 108, andthe like) to assess performance related to the processing of the clientrequest for the original resource and any embedded resources. Aspreviously mentioned, the processed performance metric information canbe used to support modifications to the original resource and/orembedded resources to improve performance for subsequent client requestsfor the original resource. For example, and as will be described furtherbelow in reference to FIG. 8, the metric processing component 118 canuse the processed performance metric information associated with theoriginal resource to dynamically identify a subset of the embeddedresources which correspond to a display location (or area) associatedwith a visible portion of a display and to further assess performancerelated to the processing of the subset of embedded resources. As willalso be described further below, but in reference to FIG. 10, the metricprocessing component 118 can also use the processed performance metricinformation to dynamically determine a resource configuration to beassociated with the embedded resources to improve performance associatedwith subsequent requests for the content. In making such adetermination, the metric processing component 118 can further take intoconsideration performance metric information collected and associatedwith subsequent resource requests for the content using such alternativeresource configurations.

With reference now to FIG. 5, one embodiment of a performance monitoringroutine 500 implemented by the client computing component 104 of theclient computing device 102 will be described. One skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that actions/steps outlined for routine 500may be implemented by one or many computing devices/components that areassociated with the client computing device 102. Accordingly, routine500 has been logically associated as being generally performed by theclient computing device 102, and thus the following illustrativeembodiments should not be construed as limiting.

At block 502, a client computing component 104 identifies an originalresource request. As previously mentioned, the client computingcomponent 104 can generate the original resource request or receive theoriginal resource request from another computing device, such asprocessing device 116. In one example, the original resource request maybe for a Web page, such as http://example.com. At block 504, the clientcomputing component 104 associates a record identifier (RID) with theoriginal resource request. The RID may be a unique identifier associatedwith the original resource request. As will be further described below,the RID can also be associated with any embedded resources included in aresponse to the original resource request. Even further, although notillustrated, in an alternative embodiment, in the event that the clientcomputing component 104 does not need a RID, the client computingcomponent 104 may not associate a RID with the resource request at shownat block 504.

At block 506, the resource request is transmitted to another entity. Inthis example, the resource request is transmitted to the performancemeasurement component 106 of the client computing device 102. Aspreviously mentioned, the performance measurement component 106 canalternatively intercept the transmission request as it is being routedto a content provider 108 for example. In one illustrative embodiment,the resource request may itself contain the RID, such that the resourcerequest and associated RID are transmitted as part of the sametransmission. For example, the RID may be included as a portion of theresource URL used to request the resource. Alternatively oradditionally, the RID may be transmitted in a second communication,either before or after the transmission including the resource request.For example, a “start new request group” command, including the RID maybe issued before or after the initial resource request. In one furtheralternative embodiment, the client computing component 104 may notinclude a RID with the issuance of a “start new request group” command,and in this case, the performance measurement component 106 maygenerate, or otherwise obtain, such a RID upon receipt of the “start newrequest group” command.

Continuing at block 508, a determination is made at the client computingcomponent 104 regarding whether any additional resources need to berequested to fulfill the original resource request. As appreciated byone skilled in the relevant art, a response to the original resourcerequest may be returned to the client computing component 104 whichincludes a number of resource URLs corresponding to a number of embeddedresources required to fulfill the original resource request. In oneembodiment, if such additional resources are identified, processingreturns to block 506 where the client computing component 104 transmitsone or more requests for the identified embedded resources with the RIDassociated with the original resource request.

Alternatively or additionally, the client computing component 104 mayassign a component record identifier (CRID) to each request for anembedded resource at optional block 510. In this example, whenprocessing returns to block 506, the client computing component 104 maytransmit the one or more embedded resource requests with therespectively assigned CRIDs. In an illustrative embodiment, the requestsfor embedded resources may be transmitted with respective CRIDs alone ortogether with the RID of the original resource request. As embeddedresource requests (or component requests) are fulfilled, the returnedcontent is processed by the client computing component 104. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art and others that a response to anembedded resource request may include links to further embeddedresources. As such, the functionality associated with blocks 506-510 maybe repeated as described above until no resource requests areoutstanding and no more additional resources need to be requested.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art that resourcerequests are processed by the client computing device 102 in accordancewith logic associated with the particular configuration of the browsersoftware application. For example, the browser software application maybe limited by a number of resource requests that may be made at onetime, an order associated with the type of requests that may be made, anorder based on a predetermined location for the requested resources on adisplay screen, or other limitations provided in the requested baseresource.

Once the client computing component 104 determines at block 508 that noadditional resources need to be obtained to fulfill the originalresource request or any subsequent embedded resource request, processingcan continue at optional block 512. At block 512, a termination command,such as “end new request group”, may be transmitted to indicate that therequest, including requests for all embedded resources, has completed.Such a termination command may provide closure to a “start new requestgroup” command, if one were issued as part of the first iteration ofblock 506. In this example, the start/termination commands may bereceived and used by the performance measurement component 106 todetermine which requested resources are associated with a particularoriginally requested resource.

At block 514, once the client computing component 104 has completedprocessing the requested original resource and any embedded resources,the client computing component 104 provides monitored performance metricinformation to processing device 116. The client computing component 104monitors such performance metric information throughout the processingof the original resource request from initiation of the originalresource request to final rendering of the requested resource and anyembedded resources. The performance metric information can include, forexample, timing data associated with the initiation of each request,receipt of a response to each request, and rendering of each requestedresource, as well as other information as described herein. The routine500 ends at block 516.

With reference now to FIG. 6, one embodiment of a performance monitoringroutine 600 implemented by the performance measurement component 106 ofthe client computing device 102 will be described. One skilled in therelevant art will appreciate that actions/steps outlined for routine 600may be implemented by one or many computing devices/components that areassociated with the client computing device 102. Accordingly, routine600 has been logically associated as being generally performed by theclient computing device 102, and thus the following illustrativeembodiments should not be construed as limiting.

At block 602, the performance measurement component 106 of the clientcomputing component 100 receives (or intercepts) an original resourcerequest from the client computing component 104. In one illustrativeembodiment, the performance measurement component 106 receives the RIDwith the original resource request. Alternatively, the RID may beprovided as a part of a separate transmission, and accordingly, in thiscase, the performance measurement component 106 receives the RIDseparately. At block 604, the performance measurement component 106associates the RID with the original resource request. In accordancewith other embodiments discussed above, the original resource requestmay be preceded or followed by a command or instructions, such as a“start new request group” command. Such commands may be transmitted withor without a RID, as set forth above. If such commands are received atthe performance measurement component 106 without a RID, the performancemeasurement component may generate, or otherwise obtain, a RID toassociate the original resource request at block 604.

Continuing at block 606, the original resource may be requested, such asby proxying or forwarding the resource request to the content provider108 via network 114. The resource request may be modified from itsoriginal form before sending, such as by stripping headers including theassociated RID. The performance measurement component 106 also monitorsthe processing, including fulfillment, of the resource request at block606. For example, the performance measurement component can identifyperformance metric information related to the initiation of the resourcerequest, the receipt of first and last bytes of data for each requestedresource and any embedded resources, the receipt of responsive content,and the like. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art,once a response to the resource request is received at the performancemeasurement component 106, the response is returned to the requestingapplication.

At block 608, a determination is made by the performance measurementcomponent 106 regarding whether a subsequent resource request related tothe original resource request has been made by the client computingcomponent 104 and accordingly received (or intercepted) by theperformance measurement component. If a subsequent embedded resourcerequest (which may bear the same RID as the original resource request,an appropriate CRID, and/or be within a start/stop command window) isreceived, processing continues at block 610. At block 610, theperformance measurement component 106 requests any embedded resourcesand monitors the processing of the requested embedded resources assimilarly described above in reference to the originally requestedresource and block 606. The functionality associated with blocks 608-610may be repeated as described above until no resource requests areoutstanding.

If the performance measurement component 106 determines that no moreoutstanding resource requests remain at block 608, processing continuesat block 612. Specifically, the performance measurement component 106provides monitored performance metric information to processing device116. The performance measurement component 106 monitors such performancemetric information throughout the processing of the original resourcerequest, from initiation of the original resource request to finalrendering of the requested resource and any embedded resources. Theperformance metric information may include, for example, timing dataassociated with the initiation of each request, receipt of a response toeach request, and receipt of first and last packets of data for each ofthe original resource request and any embedded resource requests, aswell as other additional information as described herein.

In one illustrative embodiment, the performance measurement component106 can identify performance metric information for providing to theprocessing device 116 in a variety of ways. For example, in oneembodiment, the performance measurement component 106 can storeperformance measurement information in a log file together withidentifiers to associate performance metric information withcorresponding resource requests. In this example a set of requestedresources may be joined by common RIDs, common CRIDs, associated CRID(e.g., where each component has a distinct CRID, but the distinct CRIDsof a single group have been associated or otherwise linked together,such as by a RID). In another illustrative embodiment, the performancemeasurement component can retrieve performance metric information from alog file based on timing information associated with a resource request.For example, a set of requested resources may be defined as theresources requested or fulfilled between a start command and an endcommand, or between an original resource request (inclusive) and a stopcommand. The routine 600 ends at block 614.

With reference now to FIG. 7, an illustrative user interface 700generated by the processing device 116 for displaying a variety ofperformance metric information collected, or otherwise identified, bythe performance measurement system 100 of FIG. 1 will be described.Generally, the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 7 provides a graphicalside-by-side comparison of the performance metric information identifiedfor the originally requested resource and some or all requested embeddedresources. The user interface 700 may also be provided over the network114 for display on other computing devices.

With reference to FIG. 7, the user interface 700 may be utilized todisplay a set of time-based events for a set of resources. For example,the user interface 700 may graphically represent an order of time-basedevents for an originally requested resource and for each subsequentrequest for embedded resources. More specifically, the user interface700 includes a legend 702 identifying, for a number of resource types, agraphical indicator corresponding to a number of time-based events 704,706, 708, 710, and 712 involved in processing a request for theresource. The resource types identified in the legend 702 include HTMLresources, image (IMG) resources, and JavaScript (JS) resources.However, it will be appreciated that a number of alternative oradditional resource types can be identified. For each resource type, thelegend 702 provides a distinct color-coded indicator corresponding to atransition period and/or transition event(s) occurring between eachidentified event 704, 706, 708, 710, and 712. In one embodiment, thedistinct indicators may be visual in nature, such as color-coded,cross-hatched, or the like. In another embodiment, instead of using adistinct indicator for each transition period and/or transition event(s)associated with each resource type as illustrated in FIG. 7, a distinctindicator may be used simply for each transition period and/ortransition event(s) regardless of the resource type.

In an illustrative embodiment, events 704, 706, 708, 710, and 712correspond to the following time-based events identified by theperformance metric information. Event 704 identifies a Start Eventrepresenting a time at which the corresponding resource was known to berequired by the client computing component 104. Event 706 identifies aNetStart Event representing a time at which the corresponding resourcewas actually requested by the client computing component 104. The timingof the NetStart Event may not be the same as the Start Event if, forexample, the browser software application limits the number ofconcurrent connections with a particular domain. Event 708 identifies aFirst Byte Event representing a time at which the first byte (or firstpacket) of the requested resource is received by the performancemeasurement component 106 of the client computing device 102. Event 710identifies a Last Byte Event representing a time at which the last byte(or last packet) of the requested resource is received by theperformance measurement component 106 of the client computing device102. Finally, event 712 identifies a Render Event representing a time atwhich the client computing component 104 finishes rendering therequested resource. Render Event 712 can represent either a time ofcompleting internal rendering of the resource to a framebuffer, forexample, (which is an action performed by a browser), or externalrendering to a display device, such as a monitor, (which is an actionperformed by a video card with the assistance of the operating system).

A second portion 730 of the user interface 700 corresponds to arepresentation illustrating the occurrence of each of the time-basedevents 704, 706, 708, 710, and 712 for all or some of the resourcesrequested in resolving the original resource request. In one embodiment,the representation horizontally corresponds to time and verticallycorresponds to an ordered listing of the requested resources. In oneexample, the order can specifically correspond to an order in which therequested resources are initially identified by the client computingcomponent 104. In addition, the second portion 730 of the displayincludes a variety of additional information adjacent to the time-basedevent representation for each resource. For example, in a first column732, a resource type for each resource may be provided, e.g., HTML,image, CSS, JavaScript, and the like. In a second column 734, a link toa header corresponding to each requested resource may be provided. In athird column 736, an HTTP response status code corresponding to eachrequested resource can be provided. Code 200, for example, is indicativeof a standard response for successful HTTP requests. Finally, in afourth column 738, the size of each resource may be provided.

The performance metric information provided in the user interface 700may be identified and/or collected by a combination of the clientcomputing component 104 and/or the performance measurement component 106of the client computing device 102. However, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art and others that additional performance metricinformation can be displayed. Such additionally displayed performancemetric information can be obtained by the client computing device 102,by the performance measurement component 112 of the content provider108, or based on further processing of any of the identified and/orcollected performance metric information. It will yet further beappreciated by one skilled in the relevant art that each resource and/oreach type of resource may be associated with all or only a portion ofthe above-described events and/or performance metric information. Inaddition, other events and/or indicators associated with the otherevents may be used and illustrated in the user interface 700.

In one specific example, an executable resource, such as a JavaScriptresource, is not rendered and, accordingly, neither a Render Event 712nor an associated indicator illustrating the transition between a LastByte Event 710 and a Render Event 712 will be illustrated in the userinterface 700 for that executable resource. However, the processingdevice 116 can indirectly determine and display a processing timeassociated with execution of the code once the code itself is obtained(i.e., receipt of the last byte of the code which corresponds to theLast Byte Event 710). Such processing time is inferred in the userinterface 700 of FIG. 7 by illustration of a gap formed between thereceipt of the last byte of code associated with a first JavaScriptresource at 750 and the start event associated with a subsequentlyrequested JavaScript resource at 752. Alternatively, an additional eventand/or associated indicator could be used to specifically identify theprocessing time associated with execution of the code.

In another embodiment, yet further additional information may bedisplayed in the user interface 700. For example, the user interface 700may display the total processing time, both numerically and graphically,associated with processing the original resource request including anyembedded resource requests. In this example, an indicator 740 mayillustrate a starting time while an indicator 746 may illustrate anending time, both associated with the processing of the originalresource request as a whole. Additionally, when the original resourcerequest is a request for a Web page, the user interface 700 mayillustrate a time, both numerically and graphically, at which allresources have been rendered in a portion of a Web page which is orwhich is to be initially visible to a user without scrolling. Thisportion of the Web page is often referred to as an “above the fold,”“above the scroll,” or “above the crease” portion. Indicators 744A and744B in the user interface 700 of FIG. 7 illustrate an “above the fold”(ATF) event. A fifth column 739 is also provided to illustrate, in abinary manner, whether a corresponding embedded resource is consideredto be located in an ATF portion of the display.

As will be described in further detail below, to identify an ATF event,the processing device 116 processes obtained performance data associatedwith an original resource request to identify a subset of embeddedresources which correspond to a display location associated with avisible portion of a display. A variety of performance metricinformation may influence such identification. For example, a computingdevice may have a total available display area of 1280×1024 pixels,representing a height of 1280 pixels and a width of 1024 pixels.However, other characteristics or elements associated with a display maylimit the area available to display content corresponding to a requestedWeb page. For example, a browser application or an operating system mayallocate display space to other applications, controls, toolbars, andthe like. As such, the total area (or number of pixels) available todisplay a given Web page may be something less than the full area of thedisplay, e.g., 1000×1000 pi. For the purposes of this disclosure, assimilarly set forth above, the display location (or area) associatedwith this available display area will be referred to as a frame.

In addition, the one or more resources associated with a given Web pagemay not all initially display in the 1000×1000 pi frame. Specifically,it is possible that only a certain subset of the resources associatedwith the Web page will be displayed in the frame and be immediatelyvisible (without scrolling) to a user. In practice, a user may navigateto other non-displayed elements of the page by, e.g., use of scrollbars.By obtaining and processing the performance data as set forth above, theprocessing device 116 can identify timing information associated withthe subset of resources to be rendered in the initially displayed frame.For example, the timing information can include each of the time-basedevents 704, 706, 708, 710, and 712 for each resource, as well as the ATFevent 744A/744B which identifies a time associated with collectivelyrendering the subset of the resources to be located in the initialframe. As will be described further below, this timing information canbe used to recommend resource configurations for improving performanceof subsequent client requests for the content, and particularly forimproving performance associated with rendering content in the initialframe.

With reference now to FIG. 8, one embodiment of a content processingroutine 800 implemented by the processing device 116 of the performancemeasurement system 100 will be described. One skilled in the relevantart will appreciate that actions/steps outlined for routine 800 may beimplemented by one or many computing devices/components that areassociated with the processing device 116. Accordingly, routine 800 hasbeen logically associated as being generally performed by the processingdevice 116, and thus the following illustrative embodiments should notbe construed as limiting.

At block 802, the processing device 116 obtains performance dataassociated with processing a first resource request corresponding to aset of resources. The performance data is obtained, for example, fromclient computing device 102, content provider 107, or other computingcomponents via network 114 as described above. In addition, theperformance data may include a variety of performance metric informationassociated with processing of the first resource request as alsodescribed in detail above. Next, at block 804, the processing device 116identifies a resource display location for each resource correspondingto the first resource request based on the performance data. In oneexample, the resource display location for each resource is defined by aset of coordinates corresponding to each of the resources. The set ofcoordinates can, for instance, include x- and y-coordinates identifyingbounding corners of a display area corresponding to a location at whicha resource is to be rendered on a display. It will be appreciated by oneskilled in the relevant art and others, however, that a resource displaylocation can be identified in a variety of ways.

At block 806, the processing device 116 also identifies a displaylocation, or area, associated with a visible portion of a display basedon the performance data. The visible portion of the display may bedefined by the entire area of the initially displayed frame of content.This first frame of data is associated with all resources to becollectively displayed at a given time. Identification, or estimation,of this display location may be determined automatically by theprocessing device 116 based on the performance data, such as the displayresolution or a marker identified in the HTML code corresponding to alast image designated to be rendered above the fold.

Alternatively, the visible portion of the display may correspond to anarea less than the entire initially displayed frame area. Identificationof this display location may be based on performance selection criteriaprovided by a content provider. For example, a content provider may beinterested in evaluating and/or improving performance associated withcontent that is associated with a particular area that is smaller thanthe initially displayed frame. For example, if a content providerconsistently provides content designated as having a higher degree ofimportance in the same location on the initial frame, the contentprovider may identify this smaller area as the particular displaylocation to be evaluated.

Next, at block 808, the processing device 116 identifies a subset of theresources corresponding to the identified display location associatedwith the visible portion of the display. In one embodiment, the subsetof resources is identified by determining, for each resource, whetherthe resource display location corresponding to the resource is locatedwithin the identified display location. If so, the resource isdesignated as being included in the subset of the resources. Theprocessing device 116 then processes the obtained performance dataassociated with the identified subset of the resources at block 810. Inone embodiment, the processing device 116 processes the performance datato identify timing information associated with the subset of theresources. This timing information may include, for example, a time ofreceipt, at the client computing device, of the first byte of data and atime of receipt of the last byte of data for each resource specificallyin the subset of resources. The timing information may also includetiming information associated with rendering each resource in the subsetof resources. In addition or alternatively, the timing information mayalso include timing information associated with collectively renderingthe subset of the resources, such that the ATF event 744 as illustratedin FIG. 7 may be identified. As will be further described in referenceto FIG. 10, the processed performance data associated with the subset ofthe resources, including but not limited to the identified timinginformation, can be used to improve performance associated withdownloading and/or rendering the corresponding content. The routine endsat block 812.

Returning to FIG. 7, by providing and displaying the foregoing processedperformance data as set forth above, a user of the processing device 116can readily evaluate the performance associated with processing theoriginally requested resource, including any embedded resources. Inparticular, the user interface 700 can help a user identify any problemsassociated with the processing of the originally requested resource, aswell as determine one or more solutions to the identified problem.Solutions for improving performance may include, for example, makingchanges to the content itself, to the organization of content within theoriginally requested resource, to the client computing component, andthe like. For example, a solution for improving performance may includea suggestion to change the order in which resources for a given Web pageare requested so that resources located in the initially displayed frameare requested prior to other resources. Other example solutions forimproving performance specifically associated with processing a subsetof resources that are to be rendered in the initially displayed frame,as will be further discussed below, include consolidating resources,using a different allocation of domains for processing the resources,using a CDN service provider to host the resources to be located in theframe, and the like.

Additionally, in further reference to FIG. 7, the user interface 700 canbe used to illustrate a recommendation associated with the processedperformance data. For example, and as will be described further below,the processing device 116 may dynamically identify one or more resourceconfigurations to be utilized in conjunction with processing asubsequent request corresponding to the content associated with theoriginal request and initiate testing of the subsequent request. Assimilarly set forth above with respect to the original base resourcerequest, the user interface 700 can be used to display performancemetric information associated with the processing of each of thesesubsequent requests. In addition, the user interface 700 can be used todisplay a recommendation identifying a particular resource configurationwhich, for example, has been tested and demonstrated improvedperformance associated with processing the requested resources.

With reference now to FIG. 9, a user interface 900 illustrates theperformance associated with processing a subsequent request for thecontent associated with the original and embedded resources originallyrequested in reference to FIG. 7. Given that the basic features of theuser interface 900 illustrated in FIG. 9 are similar, if not identical,to those illustrated in FIG. 7, like reference numerals have beenretained. In this illustrative embodiment, an alternative resourceconfiguration is utilized in conjunction with the subsequent resourcerequest. The alternative resource configuration, in this example,provides for a different allocation of domains from which the subset ofresources in the initial frame are requested. In particular, thealternative resource configuration provides for resources in the initialframe to be requested simultaneously by the client computing device 102.As illustrated by a comparison of the performance informationillustrated in FIGS. 7 and 9, the use of the alternative resourceconfiguration improved performance associated with processing a requestfor the desired content in this instance. This result is demonstrated bythe overall reduced processing time associated therewith, as well as theoverall reduced processing time for rendering the subset of resourceslocated in the initial frame. The user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 7and 9 can also be provided to the content provider along with a specificrecommendation, for example, to consider using the alternative resourceconfiguration associated with FIG. 9 in order to improve performance.

It will be appreciated by one skilled in the relevant art and othersthat a number of factors may affect performance associated withprocessing a resource request and, accordingly, using an alternativeresource configuration may not always improve performance. Factors thatcan be considered in determining whether a resource configuration willimprove performance include, for example, a number of embedded resourcescorresponding to the original resource request, a size associated witheach of the embedded resources, a total or effective bandwidth overwhich the request is made and resource is returned, a threshold numberof simultaneous connections to a domain, a total number of simultaneousconnections regardless of domain, an order of requesting the embeddedresources, network architecture and topology, and the like.

With respect to these and other factors, it may be possible to associatethe factor's influence on performance to predict the expected resultthat the combination of that factor will have with respect to changingthe resource configuration used. However, it may not always be possibleto predict the influence the combination of factors will have withrespect to changing the resource configuration used. Because suchfactors may influence the overall processing performance associated witha request for an original resource and corresponding embedded resources,the determination of a resource configuration that achieves the best ordesired level of performance for a particular resource request will beanalyzed by a review of the performance information resulting from theassociated test cases. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the determinationof a resource configuration associated with a resource request may be afunction of the overall performance information, which may inherently bea function of a combination of the above factors, for example.

With reference now to FIG. 10, one embodiment of a content processingand recommendation routine 1000 implemented by the processing device 116of the performance measurement system 100 will be described. One skilledin the relevant art will appreciate that actions/steps outlined forroutine 1000 may be implemented by one or many computingdevices/components that are associated with the processing device 116.Accordingly, routine 1000 has been logically associated as beinggenerally performed by the processing device 116, and thus the followingillustrative embodiments should not be construed as limiting.

At block 1002, the processing device 116 identifies a resourceconfiguration to be utilized to process a request for content associatedwith a set of resources. The resource configuration may include anidentification of one or more solutions, alone or in combination, forimproving performance including, but not limited to, configuration dataassociated with consolidating resources, using a different allocation ofdomains for processing resources, using a service provider to host,process and/or enable transmission of the resources to be located in avisible portion of a display, and the like.

The processing device 116 can take into consideration a variety ofinformation for identifying a resource configuration. For example, inone embodiment, the processing device 116 can receive a request from acontent provider to test a specifically identified resourceconfiguration in order to assess performance associated with processingthe resource request using the identified resource configuration. Inanother embodiment, the processing device 116 can dynamically identify,based on previously processed performance metric information associatedwith a first request for a set of resources, a resource configurationthat could be used to process a subsequent request corresponding to thecontent associated with the set of resources and to possibly offerimproved performance. Alternatively, in yet another embodiment, theprocessing device 116 may automatically decide to test, and henceidentify, a resource configuration regardless of the assessedperformance associated with processing the first resource request forthe set of resources.

The processing device 116 can take into consideration a number offactors in identifying, for testing purposes, a resource configurationto be associated with two or more embedded resources. As similarly setforth above, such factors include, for example, a number of embeddedresources corresponding to the original resource request, a size of theheaders and payloads corresponding to each embedded resource, a total oreffective bandwidth over which the request is made and resource isreturned, a threshold number of simultaneous connections permitted to adomain, a total number of simultaneous connections regardless of domain,an order of requesting the embedded resources, a location associatedwith each of the embedded resources on a display screen, a displaylocation associated with a visible portion of the display, networkarchitecture and topology, and the like. In one illustrative embodiment,an order of requesting the embedded resources may be especially takeninto consideration where processed performance data identifies that anembedded resource that is to be displayed in the initial frame isdownloaded relatively late in the overall download process associatedwith all of the resources corresponding to the request.

In addition or alternatively, the processing device 116 can take intoconsideration a variety of other performance selection criteria. Theperformance selection criteria can include, for example, quality ofservice information, cost information associated with processing aresource request using a particular resource configuration, and thelike. The quality of service information can include informationregarding reliability, service level quality, transmission errors, andthe like. Specifically, in one embodiment, the processing device 116 canobtain performance selection criteria from the content provider 108. Thecontent provider 108 may want the processing device 116 to only testresource configurations which meet a minimum quality of service level orwhich would only cost a specified amount to implement. In anotherembodiment, the content provider 108 may have other performance criteriaassociated with a quality of service, such as wanting the processingdevice to only test resource configurations associated with a subset ofthe resources corresponding to a visible portion of a display.

At block 1004, once the processing device 116 identifies a resourceconfiguration to use in processing a request corresponding to contentoriginally associated with a set of resources, the processing device 116enables the request to be processed using the identified resourceconfiguration. Specifically, in one embodiment, the processing device116 may reorganize the order or layout associated with the set ofresources so that the subset of resources located in the initiallydisplayed frame are prioritized over the remaining resources outside theframe. In another embodiment, the processing device 116 may consolidateselect resources, particularly in the subset of the resources, to createone or more consolidated embedded resource files, such as one or moreimage files with corresponding CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) mappings. Inyet another embodiment, the processing device may associate, for eachresource in the set of resources or specifically in the subset ofresources, a domain from which the associated resource will berequested. In still yet another embodiment, the processing device maydetermine configuration information for enabling the use of a serviceprovider to host, process, and/or transmit one or more resources fromeither set of resources or specifically from the subset of the resourcescorresponding to a visible portion of the display. The processing device116 also determines any additional configuration information necessaryfor enabling the use of any one of the foregoing exemplary resourceconfigurations.

Continuing at block 1006 of FIG. 10, the processing device 116 theninitiates the resource request associated with content to be processedusing the identified resource configuration by requesting that theclient computing device 102 initiate the query. As similarly describedabove, the client computing device 102 monitors and collects performancedata associated with the processing of the resource request and providesthe performance data to the processing device 116. Accordingly, at block1008, the processing device 116 obtains and processes the performancedata from the client computing device 102. The obtained performance datais associated with the processing of the resource request using theresource configuration to provide the content associated with thecorresponding set of resources.

Next, at block 1010, a determination is made whether any additionalresource configurations should be used to process a requestcorresponding to the content associated with the set of resources and,accordingly, be tested to determine how the use of the additionalresource configurations may affect the performance associated withprocessing such a request. If an additional resource configuration is tobe identified, then processing returns to block 1002 and the foregoingprocess in reference to blocks 1002-1010 is repeated as described above.If no additional resource configuration is identified, processingcontinues at block 1012.

At block 1012, the processing device 116 dynamically determines arecommended resource configuration to be associated with the set ofresources based on the obtained and processed performance data.Additionally or alternatively, the processing device 116 can take intoconsideration a number of factors in determining a recommended resourceconfiguration. Again, as similarly set forth above, such factorsinclude, for example, a number of embedded resources corresponding tothe original resource request, a size of the headers and payloadscorresponding to each embedded resource, a total or effective bandwidthof the data connection over which the request is made and resource isreturned, a threshold number of simultaneous connections permitted to adomain, an order of requesting the embedded resources, a total number ofsimultaneous connections regardless of domain, a location associatedwith each of the embedded resources on a display screen, a displaylocation associated with a visible portion of the display, networkarchitecture and topology, and the like.

Even further, the processing device may, additionally or alternatively,take into consideration performance selection criteria in thedetermination of a recommended resource configuration. As also similarlymentioned above, the performance selection criteria can be obtained froma content provider 108 and can include quality of service information,cost information, and the like. As also set forth above, the quality ofservice information can include information regarding reliability,service level quality, transmission errors, and the like. In oneexample, the processing device 116 can determine that a resourceconfiguration corresponding to the best performance data is thedetermined resource configuration. Alternatively, a content provider 108may not want to implement the best performing resource configuration forprocessing and/or transmitting content, but rather wants to consider acost benefit analysis. For example, a content provider 108 may only wantto consider implementing a resource configuration that attains a certainlevel of enhanced performance, such as those that meet a thresholddecrease in processing time.

In addition to determining the resource configuration to be associatedwith the set of resources, the processing device 116 can also generate arecommendation identifying the determined resource configuration orprovide an evaluation of all of the tested resource configurationstogether with a recommendation of the determined resource configuration.Such recommendations and/or evaluations can then be provided to thecontent provider 108. The processing device 116 can also generate andprovide modified HTML code to the content provider for utilizing thedetermined resource configuration. The processing device 116 can alsogenerate and provide any additional code necessary to implement therecommended resource configuration. The routine ends at block 1014.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and others that whileprocessing, monitoring, and other functions have been described hereinas being performed at various components of the client computing device102 and/or the processing device 116, these functions can be distributedacross one or more computing devices. In addition, the performancemetric information monitored at the client computing device 102 can bemaintained globally by the client computing device 102 and shared withall or some subset of the components of the client computing device 102.

It will further be appreciated by those skilled in the art and othersthat all of the functions described in this disclosure may be embodiedin software executed by one or more processors of the disclosedcomponents. The software may be persistently stored in any type ofnon-volatile storage.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:determining, from a set of resources, a subset of the resourcescorresponding to a display location associated with a visible portion ofa display by determining, for individual resources from the set ofresources, whether a set of coordinates corresponding to an individualresource are located within the display location associated with thevisible portion of the display, wherein other resources from the set ofresources are determined to correspond to a display location associatedwith a non-visible portion of the display; and dynamically determining arecommended resource configuration for the set of resources based ontiming information associated with displaying the subset of theresources at a client computing device, wherein the method isimplemented by at least one processing device.
 2. The method as recitedin claim 1 further comprising modifying a web page associated with theset of resources based on the recommended resource configuration.
 3. Themethod as recited in claim 2 further comprising causing transmission ofthe modified web page to the client computing device.
 4. The method asrecited in claim 3, wherein causing transmission of the modified webpage is responsive to a subsequent request for the set of resources fromthe client computing device.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the timing information includes timing of receipt of a firstbyte of data and timing of receipt of a last byte of data for individualresources in the subset of the resources.
 6. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the timing information includes timing informationassociated with rendering individual resources in the subset of theresources for display.
 7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein thesubset of the resources includes all resources located in the firstframe area of the display.
 8. The method as recited in claim 6, whereinthe subset of the resources is associated with a portion of the firstframe area of the display.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1, whereinthe timing information includes timing information associated withcollectively rendering the subset of the resources for display.
 10. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein the visible portion of the displaycorresponds to a first frame area of the display defined by an entireavailable display area on the display for rendering the set ofresources.
 11. A system comprising: at least one processing devicecomprising a processing component, the at least one processing devicecoupled to a memory storing instructions for the processing component,the processing component operable to: determine, from a set ofresources, a subset of the resources corresponding to a display locationassociated with a visible portion of a display by determining, forindividual resources from the set of resources, whether a set ofcoordinates corresponding to an individual resource are located withinthe display location associated with the visible portion of the display,wherein other resources from the set of resources are determined tocorrespond to a display location associated with a non-visible portionof the display; and dynamically determine a recommended resourceconfiguration for the set of resources based on timing informationassociated with displaying the subset of the resources at a clientcomputing device.
 12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein theprocessing component operable to modify a web page associated with theset of resources based on the recommended resource configuration. 13.The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the processing componentoperable to cause transmission of the modified web page to the clientcomputing device.
 14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein causingtransmission of the modified web page is responsive to a subsequentrequest for the set of resources from the client computing device. 15.The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the timing informationincludes timing of receipt of a first byte of data and timing of receiptof a last byte of data for individual resources in the subset of theresources.
 16. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the timinginformation includes timing information associated with renderingindividual resources in the subset of the resources for display.
 17. Thesystem as recited in claim 11, wherein the timing information includestiming information associated with collectively rendering the subset ofthe resources for display.
 18. The system as recited in claim 11,wherein the visible portion of the display corresponds to a first framearea of the display defined by an entire available display area on thedisplay for rendering the set of resources.
 19. The system as recited inclaim 18, wherein the subset of the resources includes all resourceslocated in the first frame area of the display.
 20. The system asrecited in claim 18, wherein the subset of the resources is associatedwith a portion of the first frame area of the display.